Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2 They Are Us – New Work by Ako Castuera April 7 – May 2, 2012 Opening reception Saturday April 7th 2012, 6:30-10pm GR2 – 2062 Sawtelle Blvd LA, CA 90025 www.gr2.net 310 445 9276   Giant Robot 2 (GR2) presents: They Are Us Solo exhibition by Ako Castuera Ako Castuera often shows at Giant Robot in group exhibitions. This will be her first solo effort at Giant Robot. Castuera’s work involves a look into the past which has brought us into the present. Along with her sweeping watercolor hills and valleys are dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. Castuera relays their significance as a dreaming point as well as their contribution in our ecosystem. Also in this exhibition will be sculptural work also depicting prehistoric animals captured in a modernistic style. Castuera’s work is colorful, dreamy and captures a concept that explains who we are and where we came from. Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent. Eric Nakamura Giant Robot Owner/Publisher eric@giantrobot.com (310) 479-7311
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Realms Ako Castuera, Elsa Mora, and Yellena James. That’s Ako and her father pictured above. He’s got style. The exhibition went without a hitch. The work looks great and the combination of the three couldn’t have been any better. The surprise of the bunch is GR newcomer Elsa Mora who’s works amazed. They’re paper cuts, but as you can see below, some pieces are folded, and turned into a figurative version of objects. The cuts themselves are delicate and precious and anyone who takes the time to look will have their imaginations piqued. The pieces stun everyone. Here’s alink to all of the work.

That’s Elsa and her daughter. Kind of a touching photo as Elsa takes a look at Ako’s works.

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[youtube]HX74R4Cqiz0[/youtube] Here’s a short film about Ako Castuera. It’s part of a new video series I intend to pursue called, the Artist Friends Series. I shot, recorded, and edited this film, and got a great music contribution from Goh Nakamura and Tim Bulkley. I’ve known Ako for many years, and actually met her at her Art’s Crab Shack days in Oakland, CA in the mid-later 90s while she was enrolled at CCAC. She’s married to artist, Rob Sato and pursues work that involves nature, humans, and dinosaurs. Often using watercolors, she’s also a knitter and makes beautiful tapestry pieces, and that hat that’s resting on the back of the chair. She’s 1/3 of the Realms exhibition taking place this saturday at Giant Robot 2 in LA along with Elsa Mora and Yellena James. Some preview images are at gr2.net
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